Monday, 

Sarkisian's Continued Rule `Unacceptable' To Opposition Bloc

 . Nane Sahakian


Armenia - Leaders of the opposition Yelk alliance hold an
anti-government rally in Yerevan, 19Jan2018.

Leaders of the opposition Yelk alliance denounced at the weekend
President Serzh Sarkisian's perceived plans to extend his decade-long
rule by becoming prime minister after Armenia is transformed into a
parliamentary republic in April.

They declined to specify just how they will be trying to prevent such
a scenario which looks increasingly likely.

"For the Yelk alliance, Serzh Sarkisian's third term is unacceptable,"
said Edmon Marukian, who heads one of the three parties making up the
bloc. "As regards other, technical, tactical and strategic issues, we
will discuss them."

Another Yelk leader, Nikol Pashinian, said the bloc's key objective
now is to prevent Sarkisian from holding on to power after his second
and final presidential term expires on April 9. "This is one of the
most important issues on which we need to adopt a common position," he
said. "No one within the alliance disputes that."

Pashinian already warned on February 9 that the outgoing president
"could drastically escalate the political situation in Armenia" if he
takes over as prime minister later in April. But he did not say
whether Yelk will stage street protests in that case.

Aram Sarkisian (no relation), whose Hanrapetutyun party is also part
of Yelk, admitted on Friday that the bloc's leaders disagree on how to
fight against Serzh Sarkisian's continued rule. He declined to refute
media reports that Marukian believes the Armenian opposition missed
its chance to oust the president during the April 2017 parliamentary
elections won by the ruling Republican Party (HHK).

Both Marukian and Pashinian denied on Saturday any differences within
the Yelk leadership, however.

Although Serzh Sarkisian has still not publicly clarified his
political plans there are growing indications that he is planning to
become prime minister. A deputy chairman of the HHK hinted a week ago
that this scenario is a forgone conclusion.



Russian Intelligence Chief Visits Armenia


Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian (R) meets with Sergei Naryshkin,
the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, in Yerevan, 19
February 2018.

The influential head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR),
Sergei Naryshkin, reportedly praised close ties between Russian and
Armenian security services during a visit to Yerevan on Monday.

Naryshkin held separate meetings with President Serzh Sarkisian and
the chief of Armenia's National Security Service (NSS), Georgi
Kutoyan.

An NSS statement said he discussed with Kutoyan "issues related to the
fight against international terrorism and other manifestations of
transnational crime." It gave no details.

Sarkisian, who ran the NSS in the 1990s, said Russian-Armenian
relations are "developing dynamically" in "all areas" when he received
Naryshkin later in the day. It is only natural for the security
services of the two allied nations to cooperate closely through
"intelligence sharing, assessment of the situation and constant active
interaction," he was quoted by the presidential press office as
saying.

According to a statement released by the office, Naryshkin noted the
SVR's "close links" with Armenia's NSS and "the proper level" of their
cooperation." He briefed the Armenian leader on their ongoing joint
activities and "further plans," the statement added without
elaborating.

Naryshkin is a longtime associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin
who managed the Kremlin staff before serving as speaker of the lower
house of Russia's parliament from 2011-2016. He repeatedly visited
Armenia in his capacity as State Duma speaker. Putin appointed
Naryshkin as head of the Russian spy agency in September 2016.

Naryshkin made international headlines recently after it emerged that
he secretly visited Washington and met top U.S. intelligence officials
in January. According to the Russian ambassador to the United States,
they discussed "the joint struggle against terrorism."

It was not clear whether political developments in Armenia were also
on the agenda of Naryshkin's trip to Yerevan. Sarkisian will serve out
his final presidential term on April 9. He is widely expected to
remain in power as prime minister. Russian officials have not publicly
commented on the outgoing president's political future.



Criminal Inquiry Launched Into Yerevan Council Brawl


 . Ruzanna Stepanian


Armenia - Marina Khachatrian of the opposition Yerkir Tsirani party is
confronted by pro-government members of Yerevan's municipal assembly,
13 February 2018.

Armenian law-enforcement authorities have formally launched a criminal
investigation into last week's violent clash between opposition and
pro-government members of Yerevan's municipal council.

The incident occurred during a session of the council chaired by Mayor
Taron Markarian on February 13. Two female councilors affiliated with
the opposition Yerkir Tsirani party were confronted by their
pro-government colleagues when they tried to hand Markarian glass
containers filled with sewage collected from a damaged sewer pipe in
the city's Nubarashen district. They called the foul-smelling
substance a "gift" from Nubarashen residents.

The two sides scuffled and shouted insults at each other. Yerkir
Tsirani's Marina Khachatrian, slapped a male councilor representing
the ruling Republican Party (HHK) after being jostled by him. The
latter slapped her in response. Khachatrian and two other Yerkir
Tsirani members, including the party leader Zaruhi Postanjian, were
then physically forced to leave the council auditorium.

Postanjian sent a "crime report" to the Armenian police. The police
also received a separate complaint from the municipal administration
which blames the outspoken oppositionists for the violence.

A police spokesman, Ashot Aharonian, told RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am) on Monday that a criminal case has been opened in
connection with the incident under Criminal Code articles dealing with
hooliganism and assault. He said the police have sent the case to
another law-enforcement body, the Investigative Committee, for further
investigation.

It was not immediately clear which side is risking prosecution for the
high-profile incident which was witnessed and filmed by many
reporters.

In what appears to be a related development, officials from the
Mayor's Office on Monday stopped Postanjian from showing a group of
journalists around the municipality building and an adjacent parking
lot reserved for Yerevan officials and council members.

Postanjian and the two other councilors affiliated with her party have
been unable to park their car there since the February 13
violence. The Yerkir Tsirani leader also said that the municipal
administration is refusing to clean up their room. She further
demonstrated purported evidence of staffers playing cards in another
room during their working ours.

Moments later, the head of Mayor Markarian's press service, Artur
Gevorgian, told the reporters, among them an RFE/RL correspondent, to
leave the building. "No journalist has the right to enter the
municipality building and move around it without our special
permission, even if Mrs. Postanjian can escort you to the room
allocated to her faction," he said before telling police officers to
usher them out.

Postanjian as well as Arayik Harutiunian of the Yelk alliance, a more
moderate opposition group represented in the Yerevan council, accused
Markarian of arbitrarily restricting media coverage of the municipal
authorities.

"This is illegal because they thereby restrict the work of the city
council," Harutiunian told RFE/RL's Armenian service
(Azatutyun.am). He said Yelk has repeatedly appealed to the
Markarian's staff but has still not received any written rules of
conduct for journalists or other citizens visiting the building.

The mayor, meanwhile, met with municipality lawyers and press officers
later in the day to instruct them to propose ways of "regulating the
work of media" in the building. It was not immediately clear what kind
of restrictions he is planning to impose.



Press Review


Armenia -- Newspapers for press review illustration, Yerevan,
12Jul2016

(Saturday, February 17)

"Zhamanak" speaks of a "large scale intra-governmental regrouping"
unfolding in Armenia in a commentary on the official confirmation that
Armen Sarkissian will become the next president of the republic. "This
raises one very important question," writes the paper. "If Serzh
Sarkisian is not going to be replaced, will the other changes [in the
state hierarchy] really matter? The composition of the government and
the choice of [three] deputy prime ministers will be very
important. But will that matter if Serzh Sarkisian is not replaced?"
It says that while Sarkisian's continued rule will preclude any
"fundamental change" in the country some state officials could be able
to push through certain reforms.

"Zhoghovurd" claims that the new constitutional provisions on the role
and authority of the Armenian president will come into force one month
after Armen Sarkissian will be chosen by the parliament as the new
head of state in early March. The paper says that up until April
popular vote will remain the only legal way of electing the
president. "Armen Sarkissian will thus become yet another president
whose legitimacy cane be called into question," it says.

"The history of presidential elections in Armenia shows that if they
decide in the upper echelons that in this particular situation the
aspirant to the top post is more important than the constitution then
they can easily circumvent requirements of the basic law without any
qualms," writes "Hraparak." "Especially given that there is such a
precedent. When Robert Kocharian was seeking the post of Armenia's
president in 1998 he had to have permanently resided in Armenia for
the past 10 years. Nevertheless, the Central Election Commission
registered Kocharian, who was brought in from Karabakh, [as a
presidential candidate] without any fuss." The paper says that Armen
Sarkissian's ascent to the presidency will follow a similar pattern.

"Haykakan Zhamanak" reacts to the shocking suicide of an Armenian
woman and her 9-year-old daughter, who jumped to their death from a
bridge in Yerevan last week. Citing official statistics, the paper
says that last year 562 people in Armenia tried to kill themselves and
157 of them died as a result. Nearly two-thirds of them were
unemployed. "This is terrible statistics," comments the paper. "It
leaves us with no room four doubting that the socioeconomic plight [of
people] is the main cause of suicides committed in Armenia."

(Tigran Avetisian)


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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